Summary
MP3DownloadCity.com is claiming that people who download songs for free will not face copyright lawsuits. The site sells a file-sharing tutorial for $24.95, which declares that file-sharing is 100 percent legal.
Original source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/19/AR2005101901226.html
Details
MP3DownloadCity led consumers to believe that they would not be sued if they paid $24.95 for the tutorial with claims like "Rest assured that File-Sharing is 100 percent legal," the FTC charged.
Recording companies and movie studios have sued thousands of peer-to-peer users for copyright infringement over the past several years, and the Supreme Court ruled in June that peer-to-peer makers could be sued if they induce users to copy material without permission.
A U.S. court in California ordered MP3DownloadCity.com to temporarily remove its claims as it considers the FTC's request for a permanent ban.
The individual named in the FTC's complaint, Cashier Myricks, could not be reached for comment.
An FTC official said the agency would try to get Myricks to return the money he collected from thousands of users.
The FTC also may try to get Myricks to state more clearly that he is selling a tutorial and not actual download software, staff attorney Matthew Daynard said.
"The main point is we don't want people getting sued over copyrighted material," Daynard said.
The Center for Democracy and Technology, a consumer rights group, asked the FTC to investigate the Web site in March, along with another Web site making similar claims, MyMusicInc.com.
"It promotes copyright infringement and it also undermines the efforts to develop a legitimate market because it sows confusion about what's legal and what's not," CDT staff attorney David Sohn said.
MyMusicInc.com now states that sharing copyrighted material without permission is illegal.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health author and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, and he has created several downloadable courses on survival and preparedness, including his widely-downloaded course on personal safety and self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates. He's also author of numerous health books published by Truth Publishing and is the creator of several consumer-oriented grassroots campaigns, including the Spam. Don't Buy It! campaign, and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. He also created the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the ending of corporate control over medicines, genes and seeds. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
